All posts by n8rngtd.top

There are a lot of problems at Tottenham Hotspur right now.

Nuno Santo’s side crashed to their third straight heavy Premier League defeat, this time at the hands of arch-rivals Arsenal in the north London derby and the pressure is starting to mount on the Portuguese.

They are now leaking goals for fun, whilst their struggles in the final third are a major cause for concern.

As per Understat, the Lilywhites rank second-last for expected goals after six matches (5.47 xG) and they also sit last for average number of shots per game (9.3) – even the bottom three of Norwich City (10.2), Burnley (12.2) and Leeds (14.2).

Ever since Christian Eriksen departed N17 for Milan, Spurs have struggled to find a replacement capable of providing plenty of goals, quality set-pieces and assists from attacking midfield.

Arguably, one of the biggest disappointments has been Giovani Lo Celso, following a £55m move from Real Betis in August 2019.

The 31-cap Argentina international has provided only seven goals and four assists across 71 appearances, averaging one contribution every 365 minutes – or once every four games, per Transfermarkt.

This is some way off the level of Eriksen during his time in north London. By comparison, the Danish playmaker averaged a goal or assist every 151 minutes across a whopping 305 appearances.

After the 25-year-old was signed, plenty of outlets, such as 90min and The Times, tipped him up to fill the void left behind by the Inter Milan star but as evident above, that’s just not worked out whatsoever.

Having been described as a “technically gifted” and “exciting” player by teammate Harry Winks and “phenomenal” by Jose Mourinho, some comparisons could be made to former Spurs flop Adel Taarabt, someone who had undoubted quality in the final third but more often than not, went missing whenever given a proper opportunity.

Indeed, the Moroccan sensation was once dubbed “a wizard” by ex-Lilywhites boss Martin Jol, whilst another former boss in Harry Redknapp claimed he was “three stone overweight,” merely highlighting just how polarising he was during his time at the club.

Luka Modric even went as far as suggesting that he thought Taarabt would one day play for either one of La Liga’s biggest giants, Real Madrid or Barcelona.

These are two teams that have also been interested in Lo Celso in the past, so there are further similarities.

After signing as a teenager, Taarabt failed to deliver any contribution of note in 15 senior appearances for Spurs and whilst the £26m-rated Argentine midfielder is some way ahead of that already, his recent form and creative drought is certainly putting him in danger of being the next big midfield flop at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

AND in other news, Journalist drops major behind-the-scenes Hotspur Way claim, Spurs fans will be buzzing…

West Ham United will be looking to get back on track in the Premier League after they picked up their first defeat of the 2021/22 campaign last weekend, but they will be buoyed by revenge in midweek.

David Moyes’ side fell to a gutting 2-1 defeat to Manchester United, with last season’s loan star Jesse Lingard bagging the winner, but the east London outfit overcame a much-changed Red Devils side in the Carabao Cup third round on Wednesday.

Overall, the Irons’ start to the new season has been hugely encouraging and it leaves the 58-year-old with a selection nightmare as several fringe players excelled after a number of key starters were rested.

The Hammers head to Yorkshire to face Leeds United, who appear to be decimated in defence – Marcelo Bielsa is expected to be without three senior centre-backs, with Robin Koch, Diego Llorente and Pascal Struijk either on the treatment table or suspended. There are also doubts over vice-captain Luke Ayling.

It gives Moyes something major to exploit, which means he should probably recall Said Benrahma to the starting XI – and he must be played out on that left-flank.

The tricky Algerian winger could feast upon the Whites’ troubles. Bielsa will either have to turn to 19-year-old Charlie Cresswell to make his Premier League debut or drop Kalvin Phillips into the backline from defensive midfield, whilst midfielder Stuart Dallas may have to feature at right-back.

Someone of Benrahma’s skill and technical ability should be able to make the most of these setbacks.

The £26m-rated dynamo has started the season on fire, providing three goals and two assists across five appearances, via Transfermarkt, and he could continue that rich vein of form at Elland Road if unleashed from the off.

Benrahma has been described as a player who “could nutmeg a mermaid” by his ex-Brentford coach Sam Saunders, whilst former Nice teammate Lorenzo Vinci once dubbed him a “true magician.”

The Irons star is averaging 2.2 shots, 1.4 key passes and 1.2 dribbles per league outing so far this season, via WhoScored, and that is exactly why he could absolutely terrorise a barren Leeds side this afternoon.

Moyes simply has to start Benrahma up in Yorkshire today.

AND in other news, West Ham handed boost over “devastating” beast ahead of Leeds clash, Moyes will be buzzing…

Some Everton fans have been left bemoaning a transfer update on Donny van de Beek.

Speaking earlier on in the week to Ziggo Sport Voetbal (via The Daily Express), which has since been shared by The Everton End on their Twitter page, the Manchester United ace’s agent Guido Albers has revealed that him and his client opened up discussions with the Goodison Park faithful over a potential move: “We took the initiative to find a club and our search ended up at Everton. We opened talks with Marcel Brands and Farhad Moshiri.”

Given that both James Rodriguez and Gylfi Sigurdsson are yet to play a game for the Merseyside club so far this season (Transfermarkt), van de Beek would have been a smart signing to fill in the vacant number 10 role.

Even though he has had his problems at Old Trafford, there is no doubt that the Netherlands international has quality, emphasised during his time at Ajax, where he scored 41 goals and made a further 34 assists in 175 matches in total over all competitions across five consecutive campaigns (Transfermarkt).

Everton fans on van de Beek transfer update

These Toffees supporters bemoaned the transfer update as it was shared on Twitter, with one Blue even going as far as to claim that they were ‘gutted’:

“I was always impressed with him at Ajax, a bit like a Cahill but with better technique.”

Credit: @fergus_maximus

“Would have actually been all for this. He’s wasted at United.”

Credit: @TabbyEfc1991

“There’s a player in DVDB. He needs to leave to revive his career. I’d love him at Everton.”

Credit: @TacticallyEv

“May be true but I’ll never accept Everton being a step down for anyone. Would have been a cracking signing.”

Credit: @SK21878

“Gutted”

Credit: @JakeC98__

“Would have been a boss signing for both Everton and van de Beek that. He’s far too good to be only playing 15 games a season him”

Credit: @bluetom_tom

In other news, find out what Rodriguez news has Evertonians unhappy here!

Steve Bruce is set to make a change in goal for Newcastle United’s clash with Leeds United on Friday night, according to Tuesday’s Daily Mirror (via Chronicle Live).

The lowdown

Freddie Woodman has started Newcastle’s first four Premier League matches with Karl Darlow recovering from a bout of coronavirus that saw him hospitalised and Martin Dubravka sidelined by a foot injury.

But Woodman’s form has been unconvincing. The former Swansea City loanee has conceded 12 goals from a post-shot xG of just 8.9 (via FBRef).

After the 4-1 defeat away to Manchester United on Saturday, Woodman wrote on Instagram that he ‘wasn’t good enough’ but was determined to ‘learn and react in the right way’.

The latest

The report states that Darlow, who was back among the substitutes at Old Trafford, is to be recalled.

Following a tough afternoon in Manchester, Woodman will drop to the substitutes’ bench for Leeds’ visit.

The verdict

Steve Bruce has probably made the right call here. Woodman was excellent for Swansea in the Championship, and so Newcastle would have viewed him as a more than able deputy.

But his performances surely haven’t lived up to expectations, and his confidence will have been damaged ahead of a test against a Leeds team who unleash constant waves of attack, despite their own deficiencies at the other end.

It will be interesting to see how quickly Dubravka is restored to the line-up when fit. Can Darlow force Bruce to hesitate?

In other news, Newcastle have been dealt a significant injury blow. 

Many Liverpool fans have been angered on Twitter, following news that their defender Andrew Robertson started on the right-hand side of defence for Scotland in their World Cup qualifying match against Denmark [BBC].

Walking into the game with no natural right-back figure due to COVID-19 related issues, former Reds assistant manager now Scotland head-coach Steve Clarke made the surprise decision to start Robertson at right wing-back in Copenhagen over Kieran Tierney [BBC].

Not proving to be a success and achieving a match rating of just 5/10 in The Daily Record newspaper, the 27-year-old was restored to his more natural berth at left-wing back for the second half.

Upon seeing this unusual turn of events, no wonder loads of diehard Liverpool fans took to Twitter to vent their frustration at the occurrence.

Liverpool FC fans react:

Replying to popular Liverpool FC fan outlet This is Anfield on Twitter, here is what some fans had to say about Robertson filling in on the right:

“Ye bit weird, taking away a big part of Robertson’s game not being able to bomb down the line and whip it in, think Tierney would be alright at RB and just sit and do a solid job defensively”

Credit: @2110lfc

“So we have got cover for Trent then …”

Credit: @kevhLFC

“Stinking the place out unsurprisingly”

Credit: @Kieran_Reid99

“We’re giving FSG ideas”

Credit: @KazzyLFC

“Don’t tell Klopp”

Credit: @mgksuarez

“Klopp seeing this and now thinking that he can be the cover for Trent if needed”

Credit: @alibaggedagain

In other news, Liverpool weighed up a move for a Premier League ace in the transfer window. Find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur could be about to secure a massive upgrade to their midfield position…

What’s the word?

According to Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb, Spurs are the one team ‘most interested’ in signing Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie before Tuesday’s transfer deadline and Fabio Paratici could offer Moussa Sissoko in return.

The 22-year-old USA international is thought to be one of several players that could leave the Serie A giants this week and the Lilywhites sporting director is keen to re-sign him, having been the man to bring him to the Allianz Arena in August 2020.

Spurs face competition from Premier League rivals Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, as well as Monaco and Bayern Munich.

Bye-bye Sissoko?

It’s certainly time to move Sissoko on, so if Paratici can include the ageing Frenchman in any deal, then the north Londoners will be onto a winner.

The 32-year-old has shown major signs of regression over the past 12 to 18 months – as per WhoScored, he averaged 1.4 dribbles per game during the 2019/20 campaign but that halved to 0.7 last season. His creativity slipped, too, managing 0.4 fewer key passes per outing and he was not as solid defensively, seeing a decrease in tackles per game.

McKennie may have struggled to cement his place in Juve’s starting XI but he still managed to find the net five times and his numbers far exceed that of Sissoko.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-more” title= “Read the latest Spurs team and injury news, transfer rumours, gossip and much, much more!”]

Since 2016/17, the £22.5m-rated dynamo has contributed 1.9 tackles, 1.8 interceptions, 1.5 dribbles and one key pass every 90 minutes. That’s simply a world above the struggling Spurs star.

The American is a player capable of playing several different roles in midfield, which in some ways is similar to the former Newcastle man.

“He’s an outstanding talent. In the No.6 or No.8 position he has the mentality, a real working mentality that you need,” McKennie’s ex-Schalke boss David Wagner claimed, via Bundesliga.com. “And he’s brave on the ball as well. He can be one of the best midfielders in the Bundesliga.”

Indeed, his skillset has also been dubbed “unique” and “versatile” by USA coach Gregg Berhalter.

So, if Spurs can secure a move for McKennie before next week’s deadline, with Sissoko being used as a makeweight in the deal, then many around N17 should be absolutely delighted.

They will be getting a massive upgrade and at the same time, shifting on a divisive £80k-per-week dud. Paratici must get this one over the line.

AND in other news, Paratici could complete Spurs’ summer business with “unplayable” £27m-rated “machine”…

Tottenham Hotspur and Everton should be vying to sign Celtic winger Ryan Christie, according to The Celtic Way reporter Anthony Haggerty.

Christie’s contract is set to expire in January and, while Scottish Premiership title hopefuls Celtic are keen to negotiate a new long-term deal, it is appearing likely the 26-year-old’s Parkhead days are numbered.

Premier League outfit Southampton have been hoping to take advantage of Christie’s precarious situation by either plucking him from Celtic for free in January or paying a cut-price fee before the transfer window slams shut next week.

Christie could sign a pre-contract agreement that would allow him to make a move in January for free, with long-term admirers Burnley, Italian side Sampdoria and French duo Marseille and Nice also keeping tabs on the Scotland international.

The winger has started the new season in stunning form, scoring in the Bhoys’ Europa League win over Jablonec and registering a hat-trick of assists in the 6-0 Scottish Premiership rout of Dundee.

Haggerty believes Christie would be an asset in Spurs or Everton’s squad.

He told Football FanCast: “I think if he’s going to go down south, he is better than Southampton. I’m not saying he is ready for a top-four club but just under that bracket of teams – like Tottenham or Everton.

“Personally, I think he is that good. While he might not go straight into those teams, I think he could make an impact going forward.”

Newcastle United have earmarked Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley as an alternative option if they are unable to lure Joe Willock back to St James’ Park, according to Shields Gazette reporter Liam Kennedy.

Former England under-21 international Willock scored eight goals in 14 appearances after joining the Magpies on loan for the second half of last season.

The 21-year-old also became the first player to score in seven consecutive Premier League fixtures since Alan Shearer.

Willock is Newcastle boss Steve Bruce’s top target in the transfer window, with the club initially looking to agree permanent terms before exploring whether another temporary deal could be possible.

However, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has insisted Willock is part of his plans and Barkley is seen as a potential loan arrival if a deal for Willock fails to materialise.

Barkley spent last season on loan at Aston Villa, but a hamstring injury restricted him to just 24 appearances.

Kennedy believes Chelsea are willing to sanction another temporary move for the £100,000-a-week 27-year-old and Newcastle could be his destination.

He told The Transfer Tavern: “I think if they don’t sign Joe Willock, you will probably see loan players coming in.

“Ross Barkley is interesting Newcastle United, but they can’t move on to players like him and risk taking up a loan place which may have to be used for Joe Willock.

“They really want Willock. He is their number one target.”

Sheffield United are said to be favouring sending Daniel Jebbison out on loan to Belgian side Beerschot, according to The Sun.

What’s the story?

Jebbison caught the eye with some impressive showings towards the end of the 2020/21 season with United, as he featured after their relegation from the Premier League was confirmed.

The youngster scored on his first-team debut against Everton at Goodison Park and will have been hoping to build on that moving forwards into the new league campaign.

However, the Blades are seemingly set to send him out on loan for this season, with the likes of Doncaster, Burton Albion and Sunderland being reportedly interested in landing his signature.

The Sun claim that Sheff United are reportedly keen to send him out on loan to Belgian side Beerschot, instead of the Black Cats, where he could have gained valuable experience in English football at a senior level.

‘Shining light’

Jebbison is still only 18, and had an average Whoscored rating of 6.43 from the four appearances he made for United last term, as they dropped out of the top-flight after a disappointing season.

Speaking in an interview in the 2020/21 season (quotes sourced from Yorkshire Live), Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards issued high praise for Jebbison, and labelled him as ‘the shining light’.

“I really like the look of him. He just gets in the right areas, and they needed that with all the negativity that’s gone on at the club.

“You want to bounce back straight away, and you want to go to the end of the season with positivity. They’re playing for pride, and he’s the shining light.”

The forward is early into his senior career and you have to trust Slavisa Jokanovic’s judgement with this transfer update on Jebbison’s future.

The Blades already have a number of strong options in a similar position, and so you can understand Jokanovic’s decision on the 18-year-old moving forwards in the summer transfer window.

It’s refreshing to see him looking at sending Jebbison out on loan, as he could easily have him playing Under-23s football once again, but it looks as though he’ll be furthering his development with a move elsewhere before the transfer window closes.

However, it is surprising to see United looking to send him out on loan to Beerschot instead of Sunderland, who are likely to be able to offer him regular game time in English football.

English football is known for playing at a high intensity, compared to other leagues around Europe. Therefore, it has come as an eye-opener to see the Blades looking at sending him on loan to Beerschot, instead of a club in England.

The Black Cats are still searching for a replacement for Charlie Wyke, with the forward opting to pursue a move to Wigan Athletic instead. So, you would have imagined that Lee Johnson’s side would have been able to offer Jebbison regular game time in senior football. It’s surprising that United are choosing to send the youngster abroad rather than to another English side.

AND in other news…Sheffield United look set swoop for this Championship star…

Tottenham Hotspur could be closing in on another summer arrival after a huge claim about a potential new arrival was passed on by a very reliable journalist…

What’s the word?

According to Alasdair Gold, the Premier League side are expected to complete a deal with Bologna for versatile defender Takehiro Tomiyasu after the Tokyo Olympics.

The football.london reporter provided a fresh update on the situation, via YouTube.

“I’ve been speaking to some of the people involved in the Takehiro Tomiyasu potential deal and they’re confident that when the Olympics are done, that Tottenham will sign him,” he claimed.

Reports surrounding this deal had gone quiet for some weeks, with Calciomercato revealing last month that personal terms had been agreed with the 22-year-old Japan international but as revealed by Gold, it’s something that Spurs still appear to be very keen on.

Another masterclass

After sealing Cristian Romero from Serie A rivals Atalanta, a swoop for Tomiyasu could be another transfer masterstroke from new sporting director Fabio Paratici.

Spurs are only expecting to pay in the region of £15m plus add-ons, which on the face of it, is an absolute bargain.

Tomiyasu can play in the middle, as well as at right-back, meaning he’s a suitable option to fix two of Nuno Santo’s most problematic positions.

Last season, Spurs had the worst defensive record of any of the traditional ‘big six’ as they suffered from a calamity of individual errors.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-team-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-much-more-copy” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours, gossip and much more!”]

Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier were dubbed “one of the worst partnerships” in the Premier League, whilst Serge Aurier was lambasted as a “liability” for the umpteenth time.

The £18m-rated star proved to be a physically imposing presence, winning 2.6 aerial duels per game, as well as being equally adept with the ball at his feet, averaging a seasonal 82.1% passing accuracy last season.

Furthermore, he averaged 1.7 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per match in the Italian top-flight, living up to his tag of being a true “warrior.”

Overall, he rated out as Bologna’s third-best player, as per WhoScored figures.

For just £15m, it certainly seems like a steal.

With Japan competing in the bronze medal match on Friday, this deal could be accelerated in time for Spurs’ opener against Manchester City in less than two weeks time.

If Paratici seals the 23-cap international, then he deserves even more plaudits. The arrival of both Romero and Tomiyasu is an exciting way to transform a struggling backline.

AND in other news, Nuno heading for big Spurs mistake as Alasdair Gold drops Man City hint on £85k-p/w “calamity”…